SQL SERVER – SQL Server RDL Specification

Report Definition Language (RDL) is an XML-based schema for defining reports. The goal of RDL is to promote the interoperability of commercial reporting products by defining a common schema that allows interchange of report definitions. To encourage interoperability, RDL includes the notion of compliance levels that products may choose to support. Microsoft publishes the RDL Specification for SQL Server 2000, 2005 and 2008.

Download the RDL Specifications for SQL Server by clicking the links below.

• RDL Specification for SQL Server 2008 (.xps format)
• RDL Specification for SQL Server 2008 (.pdf format)
• RDL Specification for SQL Server 2005 (.pdf format)
• RDL Specification for SQL Server 2000 (.pdf format)

Abstract courtesy : Microsoft

Why the RDL Specification Is Useful to You

Most people build reports by dragging boxes around in a designer and never look at the file underneath. That works fine until something breaks. Every report you save is a plain XML file with an .rdl extension, and knowing its structure helps in more ways than you might expect.

• Source control. Because it is text, you can compare two versions of a report and see exactly what changed.
• Generating reports from code. Some teams create many similar reports from a template instead of building each one by hand.
• Troubleshooting. When the designer refuses to open a report, reading the XML often shows the broken element quickly.
• Version checks. The namespace near the top of the file tells you which schema version the report targets.

You do not need to memorize the schema. Open one of your own reports in a text editor and match the main parts, like data sources, datasets and the report body, against the specification. Ten minutes of that teaches more than reading the whole document front to back.

A common mistake is editing the XML by hand without a backup. One missing closing tag and the report will not load. Keep a copy, make small changes, and validate by opening the report in the designer again.

Local reports used with the ReportViewer control use the same language in .rdlc files. Paginated reports in Power BI and Power BI Report Server are RDL too. For the current version of the schema, search the Microsoft documentation for Report Definition Language.

Published by Pinal Dave on SQLAuthority. More of my work at pinaldave.com.